2000 TJ

Step By Step

A Kargo Master roof rack carries any extra parts Dan may need, while stout sliders keep the yellow panels off of the rocks.

The interior looks fairly stock until you realize those seats are not factory. Or you see the ARB controls, and notice that the shifter is a wee bit farther forward than stock, courtesy of the NV4500.

Ghost flames are not just for breakfast anymore.

No time was wasted on this former 4.0L. The straight-six now sports an Eaton M-90 supercharger, has been stroked to 4.7L, turns a Crane bumpstick, and is outfitted with many more horsepower-building goodies. We wonder what it runs in the quarter-mile?

Both the front and rear bumpers were shot with the custom yellow-pearl paint, including the swing-out tire carrier. And, hey, everyone needs a Hi-Lift.

In the back is a high-pinion Dana 60 rear axle with ARB Air Locker and disc brakes. Need we say more?

Lights anyone? The Optima deep-cycle battery plays a large role in keeping all of these retina burners lit during late-night trail rides.

Most 2000 Jeeps, if modified at all at this point, only have a lift and maybe some bigger tires, lower gears, a locker or two, and a slightly modified warranty. But very few 2000 model anythings are as tricked out as Dan McKeags Y2K TJ.

With an encyclopedic list of modifications and add-ons that this Wrangler has already seen both sides of, where in the heck do we start? The exterior of this Jeep was sprayed with a custom yellow paint job complete with ghost flames flickering on the hood. This bright yellow paint was then further enhanced by a 4-inch Teraflex suspension system with Trail Master SS shocks handling the rebound. A set of four Wrangler MT/Rs wrapped around 15x8.5 Advantage wheels ensure traction between Mother Earth and the Jeep, even when the Eaton supercharged, stroked straight-six starts to spin. This mill now displaces a healthy 4.7L and has an added injector for extra fuel under boost. A Crane cam helps exhaust gases escape via the ported head and a 2¼-inch Borla exhaust. The multitude of ponies is then passed through an NV4500 with a 6.51 First gear en route to the high-pinion Dana 44 up front and a high-pinion Dana 60 out back. An NP231 with 4:1 gears routes power down custom driveshafts to 4.56 gears bolted to a pair of ARB Air Lockers front and back. IPF lights rest atop customized M.O.R.E. bumpers, while a Kargo Master roof rack is ready to carry anything that wont fit inside the TJ. Recaro sport seats keep the much-envied occupants comfortable, while the chrome-moly tie rod steers the Jeep around the trails. If you miss the bright yellow paint, there is a voice-activated Clarion stereo hooked up to a kicker amp and CD Technologies speakers that will surely grab your attention.